Cubs’ Justin Steele Gets Into It on Social Media With Chicago Fans originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele has not had the start to the Major League Baseball season that he wanted. In fact, his 2025 season ended on April 7, when he left a game because of an elbow injury. Steele had surgery to repair the flexor tendon and UCL in his left elbow and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.
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But that has not prevented him from getting into a social media spat with a fan.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (35) pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field.Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Since he is not able to support the team with his on-field performance on the diamond, he instead made a social media post raving about how his team was performing. That post came with some backlash from another X user.
“Is this Cubs team the best base running team baseball has ever seen?” Steele wrote on X.
One Chicago fan took issue with the support Steele was giving his teammates. “Best base running team??? Fries in the bag bro,” said user @GeorgeJenn1ngs.
The pitcher swung back with a bit more of a personal insult, “George; with all due respect. Your X account is about as cool as your turtle neck. Here’s your fries,” Steele said.
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Steele has been described in the past as “soft spoken” with an “aw-shucks personality” by MLB.com writer Jordan Bastian, making the dispute a little bit surprising.
Still, in a world where athletes are exposed to more criticism than ever because of social media, this exchange has become increasingly common. It is a long MLB season and things like this are going to happen.
Related: Cubs Expected to Aggressively Pursue Justin Steele Replacement Before Trade Deadline
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.